


Masquerade Massacre

by HH_BlueDynamite



Series: A Bloody Retribution [2]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor Angst...Sort of, Charlie is a bean, Injured Alastor, Katie Killjoy is a bitch, Murder Mystery, So is Helsa, What else is new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:54:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22452994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HH_BlueDynamite/pseuds/HH_BlueDynamite
Summary: A demon was sent to oblivion and no one knows who did it. Some pointed fingers at Alastor who, for once, is innocent. By the instructions of riddles scrolled in blood, Charlie and the others try to solve this good ol' Whodunnit.Meanwhile, a hidden malevolence targets Alastor, who is still not in tip-top shape.
Series: A Bloody Retribution [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600492
Comments: 16
Kudos: 137





	1. Written in Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

The demon with the burgundy pigtails took a closer look at the dead body of Agatha. She smiled. "Whelp, she's definitely dead-dead." She takes a picture of Agatha before taking a selfie of herself with the dead body.

Charlie looks around the ballroom. The flying shadows had finally left to parts unknown, leaving a large mess in the spacious room. Seeing the danger gone, for the most part, the guests emerged from their hiding spots. Niffty zips around, trying to clean anything. "How could this have happened?" Charlie asked mournfully, clearly heartbroken. Her first masquerade party turned into a horror show.

"How indeed!" Katie said, taking off her mask and tossing it aside. "If I had to take a guess, it would be tall, red, and deery over here. Since the two of you were the closest to the body. And here I thought your hotel was supposed to put an end to those tendencies! Ha-ha-ha!"

Charlie sneered at the news woman. Alastor acknowledge it by narrowing his eyes and moving his pupils to Katie. "I assure you, my dear, that I have nothing to do with it."

"Oh? Then do you know who did it?" Katie asked, drawing closer into Alastor's personal space, face to face. Alastor leans back a bit to make distance, a bad move because of his bad back. He cleverly hides his discomfort.

"Clearly, I don't." He notices Tom with the camera pointed at him. He gives the poor anchorman a frightening sneer. "And take that confounded box elsewhere." Tom squeaks in fright before running off. Katie face palms.

"A crimson tome…" Charlie muttered.

"What?" Vaggie asked.

"Its what the message said. Is this supposed to be some kind of scavenger hunt?"

"Who cares? Let's get the hell outta here!" Angel exclaimed. He grabs the handle to the exit door and pulls it. The door doesn't budge. Angel does it again, with two hands, but it won't move. He pulls again with his second pair of arms and when that didn't work, he uses his retractable third pair. No cigar. Angel pants from the strain it gave him. "Wha…the fuck?"

"Move." Botis demanded, shoving Angel to the side. "Let a _real_ man handle this." Angel glowered at the comment. The Von Eldritch boy firmly grasps the handle and gives it a good tug. It wouldn't move. Botis then tries to push it. Still nothing. Angry, he said, "Piece of shit!" and kicks the door. Out of nowhere a surge of electricity went through and electrocutes Botis. "…fuck…" he was able to wheeze before collapsing, smoking and sizzling.

Angel stared for a moment of shock before saying, "The door's a no go!"

"What about the windows?" Vaggie proposed.

"I got it!" Niffty declared before running in top speed into the nearest window, only to be bounced back as though the glass is made of rubber, crashing into something. "Never mind!"

"…I do wonder what goes on in her little head." Alastor remarked. He squeezes his nails into his hand so his nails can draw blood. His shadowy, equally smiling minions emerged from his own. Without a single word of demands, the shadows go to and find any nook and cranny to find an escape route. There was none. What a waste of blood.

"Ms. Velvet. It would seem they we cannot make hellular connections from inside." a demon said to the pigtail demon.

"Jamming signals, huh? Sounds like that's right up your alley, radio man." Velvet said to Alastor.

"Must I repeat myself? I did nothing of the sort. So, instead of pointless interrogation, why don't we focus our energy on figuring out what is going on, hm? It's clear that we have a mystery on our hands!"

"He's right." Charlie said. "We need to find out who did this to Agatha and why we can't leave. Maybe the clue is in that tome? If so, then it looks like we're going to have to play this game."

"We shouldn't waste time on this silly game." Vaggie said. "We need to get out of here first." A screeching wail echoed around much to the pain of everyone's eardrums. A large shadow emerges from nothingness and grabs the moth demon.

"VAGGIE!" Charlie shouted. The moth girl struggled to free herself but no avail. Then, Alastor digs his fingers into his palm, drawing more blood. With an echoing snap of his fingers, tentacles appeared and pulls Vaggie out of the shadow's grasp before disappearing. Vaggie lets out a shout as she fell before landing in Angel's arms.

"…Thanks." Vaggie said.

Angel shrugged. "Eh. I just happened to be standin' here." He lowers the hotel manager to her feet. "It was Al who saved you, though." At first, Vaggie was shocked and a little grateful to learn that. That Alastor went out of his way to save her.

Alastor chuckled. "Come now. What would I do without my favorite Pun-ching bag? You are the hotel's moth-erly manager, after all. Ha-ha-ha!"

Vaggie's sense of gratitude crumbled away. Of course.

She could hear Angel snickering. He stops when she glares at him. Charlie runs over to her girlfriend and hugs her tightly.

"I'm so glad you're all right." the princess muttered. Vaggie smiles, hugging her back.

"AAAGGGHHH!" screamed an unfortunate demon who was snatched by the shadows and taken up in the air. "No…Please…don't—" the poor creature was impaled horribly by the gothic chandelier, his blood dripping from the spikes.

Everyone else stood there, starring at the red splat on the ceiling. Vaggie and Charlie hugged each other more tightly. Charlie looks at her Vaggie and vice versa. "…I think it's best that we play along." Charlie said to Vaggie.

"…Yeah."

Angel was the one to notice the dripping blood forming words. With cautious steps, he drew closer to read it. "… 'Without the aid of a mighty crook, you will venture through the maze of athenaeum. To locate the crimson book, find a collection rich of knowledge that lasted a millennium.'" As soon as he was done, doors leading to the other areas inside mansion swung open. Angel blinks. "…Does it have ta be a fuckin' riddle?"

"Well, it's a start." Charlie said. "Question is, what is an athenaeum?"

"The word itself sounds that it came from the name of the Greek goddess of war, Athena." Rosie said, twirling her umbrella around.

"So, what? The book is in some battlefield somewhere?" Angel wondered. "News flash: We can't leave."

"Excuse me, moffie." Katie sneered. "I'm the one giving the news around here."

"It's a figure of speech, ya hussy!"

"What did you call me?" Katie sneered again, now with her extra limbs emerging.

"Ya ain't deaf, ain't ya?" Angel challenged. The two growled at each other before Charlie moved in between them.

"Stop this right now. We have no time to argue." Charlie said. "We need to figure out this riddle so we can progress further in this game so we can get out." She glances up at the carnage still on the ceiling. "Hopefully in one piece."

"A library." Vaggie spoke up.

"What?" Charlie asked.

"I think an athenaeum is a library."

"And what lead ya to that?" Angel asked.

"While Athena was seen as a goddess of war, she was more known for as the goddess of wisdom." Vaggie explained. "The Athens was famous for cultivating many scholars. Is there a library in this mansion?"

One demon rose their hand. "I think I saw one down in the east hallway."

"Then that's where we're going." Charlie said.

"Wait!" Regina exclaimed as she scurried out from her hiding spot. "Let me come with you. I-I don't want to be alone here."

Charlie gives her a warm smile. "You are more than welcome to come, Reggie. Let's go." Charlie said as she heads towards one of the opened doors. Before she could walk over the threshold, she was pulled back by Helsa.

"Take a backseat and have kumbaya circles with your sinners while _I_ win this game." she said.

"Lives are at stake, Helsa." Charlie said as she followed. Vaggie, Angel, Botis, and Niffty trailed behind over the threshold. Alastor was close behind, but before he could walk through, he was knocked back by an invisible force.

"Oh. That was unexpected." Alastor said.

"Al?" Charlie asked, curious and worried.

"Ah! That has answered the 'Without the aid of a mighty crook' part of the riddle." Alastor said. "Apologies, my dear. It would seem that I would not be able to accompany you all."

While a part of Charlie's mind was disappointed that the red stag can't go with them, another part was relieved. At least Alastor can take a break so he could focus on his own wellbeing.

Charlie nods. "Okay. You hold down the fort."

"Good luck, Charlie." Alastor said.


	2. Beware the Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

The library wasn't that hard to find. Just like the demon said, it was in the east wing. In fact, it took up the majority of the floor. Calling it a maze was almost accurate. Rows and rows of books on shelves. The group felt like they were in an actual public library. They split to cover more ground. They thought it was going to be easy. Find a red colored book. Unfortunately, the books in the library are in a variety of different shades and the riddle didn't specify on the shade. Charlie and Regina partnered up to find the book, with Katie and Tom right behind them, much to Charlie's dismay. The princess keeps her mind on the search in an effort to ignore the news woman and her earlier comment about Alastor and her eyes skim through the books.

"So, Charlotte." Katie started.

"It's Charlie."

"I don't give a shit. Why don't you tell our viewers of your plans for when the Radio Demon ditches your rinky-dink hotel?" Katie asked with demented enthusiasm, not unlike the aforementioned stag demon. Although, Charlie prefers Alastor's condescending tone, perhaps because of his mid-Atlantic accent makes it sound more entertaining.

Regina pulls Charlie aside from the aggravating woman. "Let's go look over here." They move away from the news duo, walking past the history and cooking section. "There we go. That Katie Killjoy is a real piece of work. I actually miss Laura Lynch." She notices the mix of solemn emotions in Charlie's eyes. After a moment of hesitation, Regina said, "That hotel of yours sounds like a nice place. A peaceful locale away from the violence of Hell. I get you want to redeem every sinner down here, but is Killjoy even worth it?"

"To be honest, I don't know. But, I have to try. I knew from the get-go that it won't be easy, and that humiliating interview did not help in the slightest, but it would hypocritical of me to not accept every soul into the hotel."

"…You're really are a dime in a dozen. And to think, you're _the_ princess."

Charlie chuckled. "I get that a lot."

"And maybe I'll book a room in your hotel." Regina said.

"Really?" Charlie asked hopefully. Regina nodded.

"I wouldn't recommend it, unless you want all of Hell to judge and ridicule you."

Charlie groans. "Don't you have something better to do?"

"I would have, but what ever big story Agatha wanted to spit out had died along with her." Katie said. "Disappointing, since she said that the story could make history."

"History…That's it!" Charlie exclaimed.

"What's it?" Regina asked.

"In the riddle, it said the book could be found in a collection of knowledge that lasted a millennium. It might be talking about history. Everyone! Check the history section!" Charlie grabs Katie's hand with both hands and shakes vigorously. "Thank you so much!" Charlie lets go and dashes to the history section, leaving behind a shocked and mildly unnerved Katie Killjoy. How can any body just change their moods in the blink of an eye?

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A test more than anything, Rosie moved her hand only for an unseen forcefield to prevent it from going any further. "The riddle referred to any Overlords that may be present, it seems. Hmph. Calling a lady something obscene like a crook." she chastised. "For rhyme sake or no, that is not a proper term…" Most of the guests stayed in the room since she and her fellow Overlords, Alastor and Velvet, is trapped, wanting their protection from whoever is trapping them. They also steer clear from Agatha's body and the bloody mess from the second riddle.

Rosie glances around for Alastor, finding him inspecting Agatha's corpse. He takes her by the lapels of her outfit to pull her into a seating position. Alastor sees a gaping hole where her spine would be. He is briefly reminded of his own injury. Alastor then carefully dug his hand inside. Her heart is gone. After pulling his now bloodied hand out, he lays Agatha back down in her drying blood. The Radio Demon moves away her curls from her neck, his eyes narrowed at what he is seeing. Four small puncture wounds. Curious. Very curious.

"Find anything particular?" Rosie asked.

"Can't be sure. Though her heart is missing and there appears to be a bite mark." Alastor answered.

"Do they ring any bells?" Rosie asked as she walked over.

"Unfortunately, no. Oh and do be careful. The blood has yet to dry completely."

"Speaking of…" Rosie motions Alastor to move closer and he does. "It is best that you refrain from using your powers."

Alastor chuckled. "And why, pray tell, should I?"

"It is clear that it is taxing you, given your…condition." She lifts Alastor's mask. "The dark circles under your eyes are returning." Rosie said. "Anymore and you could collapse, in front of Velvet. Need I remind you of her association with Vox?"

Dense radio static hovered around him. "No need."

A loud snort erupted from underneath a table before Husk emerged. "What the fuck is going on? What was all that noise? Givin' me a fucking headache."

"Were you asleep this whole time?" Rosie asked the cat demon.

"I dunno. What did I miss?" Husk asked. He finally noticed the dead Agatha and some blood on Alastor. He shot the stag an annoyed glare. "Seriously?"

"I'm beginning to sound like a broken record." Alastor muttered. "This isn't my handywork, Husker."

Husk raised a big brow. "Then what's with the blood?"

"I was inspecting our former hostess for any leads." Alastor answered.

"Huh…what's up with the riddles?"

"Apparently, we are tasked to play some game." Rosie answered. "For right now, Overlords such Alastor, I, and Velvet are not permitted to leave the ballroom while the princess and a few others ventured into the mansion for a book."

Husk blinks. "…How long was I asleep? Actually, don't answer that." He pinches the area between his eyes as he leans on the edge of the table.

"Perhaps it is best that you rest, my dear." Rosie said to Alastor.

Alastor responds with a chuckle. "Ha-ha-ho. I do not think that would be a wise decision, Rosie. Given the circumstances, it would be a risk to showcase any vulnerability in this building at the time being. Especially since I can't retreat into my shadows."

"Oh contraire, the sight of Alastor resting at a time like this would be seen as you are being unfazed at our predicament to any onlooker." Rosie surmised. Her hypothesis did make Alastor ponder for a moment.

"Hmmm… Perhaps some down time would prove beneficial. I may even regain some stamina. Hell knows I may need it for whatever, whoever, may be behind this."

"Precisely." Rosie said. Alastor makes his way to the stairs before taking a seat on the fourth step and leans on the baluster, the gaps between the column making room for his injury. He removes his hat and places it beside him. With the crossing of his arms and legs and the close of his eyes, Alastor allowed sleep to take over. He barely realized how tired he was.

Husk whistled. "Didn't take long. He must be really pushing himself too hard. Again." He takes a swing from a bottle he found. "Dumbass."

"I take it that you are aware of his attempts at hiding his ailments." Rosie said.

"You gotta be blind and stupid not to see 'em." Husk said before taking another drink. "It ain't the first time."

"Nor will it be the last." Rosie added. "It is strange. Whomever is doing this seems to have similar powers to Alastor, albeit on a miniscule scale. Still…Dear Husker, is there a chance that you were sober during the blackout?" As a cat demon, Husk can see in the dark.

Husk shrugs. "Why?"

"Did you see anyone attacking Agatha?" the winged feline paused before he took another drink, taking a moment to think.

"…I did. At least, I _think_ I did. I was kinda hammered at the time."

Without Rosie and Husk's knowledge, a shadow started creep from the dark corners of the stairway.

And they are heading to the slumbering Alastor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been thinking about writing a fic with Alastor and Husk. Something similar to what I did with Incognito. But, I can't think of anything. Can someone help me?


	3. Let's Get Serious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"Any luck guys?" Charlie asked before tossing a book away.

"Nope. Nope. Nah. Eh-eh." Angel deadpanned as he tossed away one book after another, not bothering to actually look at them. Vaggie glares as the spider haphazardly throw the tomes.

"Can you at least _try_ to be helpful?" Vaggie asked.

"I would if you've let me finish that book." Angel said.

"It was a volume of pornography! In the porn section!" Vaggie retorted. "…For a woman who didn't want sexual activities in most of the mansion, she has a large collection erotica."

"Since she's double-dead, can I have it?" Angel's request was answered with a karate chop in the head via a book by Vaggie.

Helsa scoffs. "I'm so bored of this right now. I have better things to do than breaking a nail in this dusty place."

"Yeah, the problem is that you can't get out to do those things." Vaggie pointed out. Angel stood beside her, rubbing the lump on his head. Helsa glared daggers at the moth, knowing full well she was right. She scoffs again.

"Hurry up, Botis." she demanded. "We can't let Charlie and her sinners win!" Her brother rolled his eyes.

Regina sees Katie and Tom off to the side. "Aren't you going to do anything?"

"I'm a reporter. I don't do the things I report." Katie said. After that, she goes to file her nails. Tom wanted to retort about him being the one filming while she isn't doing _anything_ , but he wanted to keep his balls intact.

"I think I found it, Ms. Charlie!" Niffty exclaimed.

"Where?" the princess asked.

"Up there!" Niffty points up to the higher shelves. The book she found, next to ' _The Scarlet Secrets of Elizabeth Bathory_ ', has the letters/numbers DC143C on the spine. Angel, being the tallest, takes it out of the bookshelf.

"This one?" Angel asked.

"Yeppity-yep-yep!" Niffty nodded, taking the book and handing it to Charlie.

"How did you know?" Charlie asked.

"See these digits?"

"Yeah."

"They match the hex triplet for the color crimson." Niffty divulged. Her statement reminded the group of the mention of a 'crimson' tome in the riddle.

"Huh…Ain't that a bit on the nose?" Angel asked.

"It's not like anyone would put those together." Vaggie pointed out.

"Aren't we lucky to have you along, Niffty." Charlie said to the little cyclops. The little darling sure does live up to her name.

"Heh-heh-heh. I just know my colors." Niffty said. "9E1B32, FF2400, E52B50, E0115F—" Angel was quick to pick her up and cover her mouth as she prattles on muffled.

"You're welcome."

"Let's hurry and get this to the ballroom." Regina said.

"You're right." Charlie said. "Let's go everyone!"

"Why is she the one taking command?" Helsa asked.

"Uh…'Cause…she's a princess?" Angel pointed out.

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"We found it, everyone. We found the book!" Charlie exclaimed as she ran into the ballroom.

"Slow down. We don't need anyone tripping over themselves now." Rosie coached, sounding like a nanny. "Are you certain that this is the book?"

"I think so. Maybe Al knows. Where is he?" Charlie asked Husk.

"He's over there, snoo—[*]" His sentence was cut short when he saw there was no Radio Demon at the stairs. All there is, is his masquerade mask and monocle. It shocked everyone.

"Oh, dear." Rosie said.

Charlie was the first to move over where Alastor was to pick up his monocle.

"Where is he?" she wondered, looking around for the stag demon. The others did the same. They see no hide nor hair of the red man. And it was a tad unsettling.

"What's going on here?" Velvet asked. "Where's jazz man? Did he flew the coop?"

"I don't think so." Charlie said, "I don't think he would just leave us." Vaggie glances at Charlie for a moment.

"Oh, really?" Velvet questioned. "That's some hefty trust there. To bad it's a death sentence down here."

Regina rubs her arms to ease nerves. "Um…is it possible that, whoever is doing this took him away?"

"Pfft. Please, this is Al we're talkin' about." Angel boasted. "The Radio Demon, the jazz man, the strawberry pimp!" Angel chuckled. "Like the guy could be easily captured."

"I actually agree with Angel." Vaggie said before muttering to herself, "That's a miracle." She ignores a glare from Angel. "This is _Alastor_! The man does shit like this for shits and giggles. In fact, I was beginning to suspect that he's the one behind all of this!"

Charlie glances over at Agatha's corpse and then at the body up on the chandelier. "You…really think so?"

Vaggie crossed her arms. "Yes. I do. Charlie, it's sweet of you to try to see the good in every soul you come across, but please bear in mind that most souls here are just extremely twisted. We can't ignore the possibility that this is Alastor's doing." After Vaggie was done talking, Charlie looks down at the monocle in her hands. Deep down, she knew Vaggie was right. Alastor is, no doubt, a twisted man with horribly skewed morals. But…something doesn't seem right…

"I don't agree." Husk said.

"Husk…how so?" Charlie asked, holding the monocle to her chest.

"Look, I ain't denying that Alastor's disappearance may be his own doing and all of this was caused by him. But, he won't go this far." Husk said, gesturing to Agatha's body.

"I agree." Tom spoke up, much to everyone's surprise.

"What makes you so sure?" Charlie asked curiously.

"I was a radio host back when Alastor first appeared in Hell." Tom said. "Imagine mine and Laura's surprise when our broadcast was interrupted by his first string of killings. Then came the downfall of several Overlords at the hands of the man. Jester, Davy Jones, the Countess…"

"Wow, you were able to survive all that. That's pretty cool." Angel commented.

Tom looked pleased. "Oh, well. Thank you." It's rare for him to get some kind of praise.

"Yes. And then Lynch was killed during an Extermination and you were demoted when I came into the picture. Isn't life just awful?" Katie asked cheerfully. Tom grumbled.

"Back to Alastor. Are you sure about that?" Vaggie questioned Husk.

"Alastor has his own style of how he goes about his violence and carnage." Husk said. "Without fail, the guy would always broadcast his murders over the radio."

"True. But, who's to say this isn't being broadcasted now, hm?" Velvet inquired. "And don't bother bringing up how the signals are jammed. I'm sure the buck can tap into a different frequency."

What she said was true. Alastor can indeed do that. He would jam signals to prevent other demons from escaping his carnage, while keeping his own frequency on air. There is one problem to that though. The man doesn't have enough energy to do such a thing right now. Husk knew Alastor for years and never once had his ploys have him be in a state of vulnerability. He had many times feigned an inability to solve a particular issue, only to later reveal that he was always able to do so, solely for kicks and the other's reactions. Alastor would never let others see him looking vulnerable, injured and weak, fake or not.

There has, however, been times where Alastor have been injured, but treated the injury as though it was a minor inconvenience than what it really is. Husk remembered a time when Alastor had to rip his own arm off to get out of a trap. After making some stupid jokes about it, the red stag leaves and hasn't been seen for a couple of days. Husk knew that Alastor was giving time for his arm to heal and away from prying eyes. Yes, there could still be a chance that Alastor could be faking, but…Husk knew in the pit of his gut that isn't the case.

Obviously, Husk can't tell Velvet this, because it could be repeated back to Vox. Instead, Husk said, "If there is one thing that Alastor won't do, is to erase another demon."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Think about it like this: Why do you think it's stupid for a dictator to kill everyone in the world?" Husk asked.

"Um…because it would cause Hell to overflow uncontrollably?" Charlie answered awkwardly.

"Well, yeah, but what else?"

"Because there'll be no one left." Vaggie answered.

"Bingo. Alastor hates the idea of using the angel's weapons during his killings. Takes the fun out of it, as he would put it."

Charlie glances down at the monocle again, cradled in her hands. Her fingers curled around the piece of glass as the feeling of determination reinvigorated in her heart, determined to find Alastor, get the bottom of this, and end this game.

There was a disgusting, stabbing sound followed by a horrified scream before another stabbing sound. Everyone whips around to see two more demons, a pair of women, was stabbed through the back by shadow spikes. Their blood oozed from their body, streaming down the spikes and onto the floor, where they collected and swirled before creating another riddle.

_Congratulations! You've completed act one!_

_And in record time too. I hope you had fun!_

_Don't get too comfortable, because it's only temporary._

_Afterall, the real fun has just begun, so be careful and wary._

_Inside that book are clues for the next act._

_Be mindful on choices with consideration and tact._

_I recommend splitting into two groups for this one._

_I need give you a better chance to find the smoking gun._

_Matthew, Mark, and Luke had enjoyed their last supper._

_But they watch for a viper with fear and shudder._

_A powerful gale blows across the muted, dreary second land._

_A person of salacity is punished to walk across without a hand._

_And one last, to make it perfectly clear._

_If any of you try to get away then, well…oh_ _**dear** _ _._

Evil laughter can be heard all around them, from deep within the shadows. Many demons cowered in fear, fear that they have not experienced in a long time. The only ones unfazed are Rosie, Velvet, Katie, the Von Eldritch siblings, and the Happy Hotel crew. Charlie takes in a deep breath, before opening her eyes again. There was no shock, no sadness or grief, no uncertainty.

She was ready to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *[Insert Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy monkey sound]
> 
> I do believe that Tom died during WW1. I know that Vivziepop said that the characters deaths don't coincide with major events, but it's kinda hard not to see some connections because these were major events. Tom Trench, and he wears a gas mask. I finally remembered that trench warfare was a thing in the First War (Thank you, Wonder Woman). Also, Alastor died in 1933, during the Great Depression, and Husk died in the 1970s and was a Vietnam war vet, said war ended in 1975 and Husk is estimated to be 75 when he died.


	4. Riddle Me This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Angel inspects a gun he had on his position before stuffing it in his chest fluff. He sees Vaggie, holding her spear, giving him a look. "What?" he asked.

"Did you really bring a gun with you?" Vaggie asked.

"Hey, you get to gallivant around with your spear." Angel pointed out. "We need protection too, ya know."

"Funny, coming from you." Husk grunted.

"Hey, sex jokes are my thing." Angel objected. "Al already got the dad jokes down, so I gotta have somethin'."

"Are we seriously arguing about this?" Vaggie asked, desperate to end the conversation.

"Don't worry, Vaggie. The meeting is about to begin." Charlie said. The hotel group, Rosie, and Regina sat in a circle near the top of the stairway. The remaining guests, again, remained in the ballroom, too scared to do anything at this point. Charlie claps her hands together. "Okay, does everyone remember how the riddles went?"

"Some of it." Husk answered.

"If we put our heads together, we can figure this out." Charlie said. She looks at the crimson book. "Whatever we're supposed to do next, the book is our key to finding out. But, where do we start? I feel like the riddles might give us a clue."

"Did you look into the book, yet?" Rosie asked.

Charlie blinked when it dawned on her. "Oh, I guess I didn't." She picks up the book and starts to read. "'300 years or so later and I finally got to my thirtieth journal. Is it the thirtieth? I lost track a long time ago. The power of the pen and paper is simply astounding! And to think this was invented over 500 years ago on Earth.'…What is this?"

"It sounds like a private journal." Regina said. Charlie abruptly close the book shut.

"I don't think we should be reading this." she fretted. "This is a violation of privacy."

"Ugh, how are you the princess of Hell?" Katie said, holding a cigarette. "Also, the bitch is dead-dead! You're not gonna be hurting her feewings."

"Do you want me to read it?" Regina asked.

"No-no. You are the hotel's future client. Can you go check on the other guests? Take a mental note of everyone, just in case someone goes missing." Charlie said. Regina nodded and leaves. Charlie took in a breath before releasing and opening the book again. She scans through the sentences, turning a few pages before closing. "From what I read, Agatha started writing in this book recently, early this year."

"We can't look into it blindly. It'll take forever." Vaggie said. "Read the last written page." Charlie nodded and flips through the pages towards the most recent entry before turning back a couple of pages to read the beginning of the entry. As she read, she noticed something.

"Huh…" she said.

"What is it?" Niffty asked.

"This was written last month." Charlie said.

"That's weird." Vaggie said.

"Indeed, seeing that she was quite vigilant with her chronicling, given the number of journals she has written." Rosie said.

"What else does it say?" Vaggie asked.

"It kinda talk about this party. Who is she inviting and what the theme is going to be and…what?"

"Charlie?"

"She…wasn't going to invite me?" Charlie pondered, confused and sad.

Rosie clears her throat. "My apologies, but Agatha had indeed spoke about her annoyance of you."

"Awww. Poor you." Helsa mocked.

"What? Wait, why would she invite Charlie if that was the case?" Vaggie asked, mad. Of course, there's no point since the object of that anger is gone.

Charlie turns the page, something interesting caught her attention. "She wasn't going to invite Alastor either. Or Rosie."

"…What." was Rosie's response.

"Seriously?" Angel asked before taking a look at the book. His eyes trailed through the words. "Huh. Apparently, she was starting to feel threatened by their presence, afraid that they'll take her turf or somethin'."

"Hmph. Egg on her face." Rosie said. "Unlike other Overlords, Alastor and I cared less for expanding our turfs."

"…I wonder who this 'C' person is." Charlie wondered.

"Who?" Husk asked.

"Someone Agatha referred to as 'C'." Charlie said. "According to this, 'C' was the one to persuade Agatha to invite Alastor, Rosie, and me. Hmmm…"

Angel growls in frustration. "This is getting us nowhere!"

"Let's think back on the riddles." Vaggie said. "They might give us an answer."

"Let me try to remember." Charlie said. "…'Matthew, Mark, and Luke had enjoyed their last supper. But they watch for a viper with fear and shudder.' Does anyone have any ideas?"

Angel shrugs. "Beats the Hell out of me. Makes me think of the Last Supper though."

"…The Last Supper?"

"Ya know. Jesus' last super before Judas decided to get him offed for silver coins. I wonder if he's down here…" Angel thought for a moment about the possibility before noticing everyone staring at him. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Vaggie asked.

"My dad would force us to read the Bible, front to back, mornin', noon, and night." Angel said. He scoffs. "The douche was fuckin' hypocritical though…"

"Do you happen to remember the chapter? The verse?"

"I think it was 22:3."

Charlie turned the page to page 22 and went to paragraph three. "'I placed the jar in the cupboard in the dining hall. These eyes are an excellent delicacy and I want to keep them somewhere safe and out of reach.'" She beams a smile. "I think we found our first clue!"

"Let's go ahead and answer the second one. The riddle did imply that we're going to have to do these around the same time." Vaggie said. "I think it went 'A powerful gale blows across the muted, dreary second land. A person of salacity is punished to walk across without a hand.' Not as obvious as the first one…"

Angel groans. "Al is so lucky that he doesn't have to deal with this shit."

The mention of Alastor reminded Charlie that he is still missing. Where could he be? Is he all right?

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Drip. Drip. Drip.

An ear twitched as red eyes opened to a candle lit room. They blink several times before the haze in his mind faded away. What happened? Where is he? The last thing Alastor remembered was rest at the stairs as requested by Rosie, so how did he get here? It took him a moment to realize that he is laying in something white, smooth, and made of acrylic and he feels that he is in a hollow bowl. Is…he in a tub?

Alastor grabs the edges of the acrylic and proceeds to lift himself out, ignoring the pain in his arms. Why do they hurt? He moves to sit on the edge of the freestanding tub and stays still for moment. He then takes in his surroundings. He's in a spacious, Victorian water closet with candles being the only light source. The wax sticks were on the dripping vanity, the rem of the toilet bowl, and along the edge of the bathtub.

Atmospheric, if nothing else. But it doesn't answer the questions to why he is here and how he got here. A shot of pain went through him when he moved his arms. He looks down to see his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing his black forearms and claws wrapped in white bandages with red blots. He's…injured? When? What happened? He rises from his seat and moves to the mirror. He's missing his mask, monocle, and tailcoat. Alastor habitually goes to adjust his monocle before stopping and silently judging his reflection. The dark circles on under his eyes have deepened.

A throb shoots up his arms and he look down to see the blood in his bandages forming into words.

_Hello, Alastor._

_Do you remember me?_


	5. Prey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

_Hello, Alastor._

_Do you remember me?_

Alastor raises a brow into his bangs. "I haven't the faintest idea, my enigmatic fellow. If you'd please shed some light, am I still in Agatha's mansion? And use a different canvas for your telegram."

Thankfully, the person's message emerged on the mirror, still in blood though.

_Yes._

"Ah! Good to hear!" Alastor said. He turns on his heels and heads to the door. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some place to be." The door is slam shut and more bloody words formed.

_I'm afraid I can't allow that._

"And why is that?" he asked, remaining upbeat despite his situation.

_You and I have some loose ends to tie up._

"I would love too. Truly, I do. Unfortunately, I haven't the foggiest inkling of what ends you are referencing. And on that note, you have yet to introduce yourself. If you be so kind, let me out before I show myself out, thank you." Alastor goes to turn the knob, but black tentacles emerged from the gilded lump of metal and wraps around his wrist tightly.

_I know you can't summon your cane._

_I know you are injured._

_I know are_ _**weak** _ _._

Raspy snickering can be heard from the void. Any and all jovial thoughts and jokes Alastor had conjured up vanished. A low red light illuminates from his narrowing eyes and the tentacles coiled tighter. Now, he was serious.

_Let's play a game, shall we?_

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Any ideas?" Charlie asked. The others answered with a 'no'. For the past several minutes, the group pondered over the answer for the second riddle. No one had the luck of finding any.

"Ugh. This is bull." Vaggie groaned.

"I'm boooored!" Angel complained. "Can't something exciting happen again?"

A frightening scream tore through the air and everyone scrambled to their feet. Fortunately, the demon screaming was only startled by their own shadow. Charlie eyed the poor soul sympathetically. No one wants to admit it, but they are on edge. Having a missing Overlord didn't help either.

"Okay. Forget I said that." Angel said.

Silence fell over them again, ignoring some whimpering from the frightened guests. Charlie lowers to her back, staring up at the ceiling. "'A powerful gale blows across the muted, dreary second land. A person of salacity is punished to walk across without a hand.' What does it mean?"

"Not a single clue." Husk said.

"The only thing I got out of it was the salacity part." Angel said.

"Surprising no one." Vaggie said.

"A powerful gale…second land…salacity…punishment…" Charlie pondered. "A powerful gale, second land, salacity, punishment… A powerful gale, second land, salacity, punishment—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Helsa exclaimed. "Shut up before I knock you into the Third Circle!" Angel had to hold Vaggie back.

Something clicked in Husk's mind. "Circle…" Rosie caught on.

"Dante's Divine Comedy. In the second circle of Hell is for those overcome by lust, bombarded by unforgiving winds as punishment." Rosie said.

Charlie seats up with the journal. "Where should I look?"

"I'd recommend page 5, as Dante and Virgil arrived in the second circle in Canto V." Rosie said. Charlie goes to the 5th page and reads.

"…It mostly has her in her bedroom, so I guess that's the other location." Charlie said.

"Okay." Vaggie said. "Now that we know where to go, we'll need to split up into two teams."

"Count me out." Helsa said. "I've already given you my time and I don't have any more to spare."

"Same here." Katie said. "There's nothing newsworthy and I've already wasted my time with you gays. I've got standards to keep up." Tom shook his head.

"We're heartbroken." Husk said dryly.

"Then that leaves the six of us. Unless you don't want to help out, Rosie." Charlie said politely.

"Oh, pish-posh. I knew you children would make this entertaining and I am enthralled." Rosie said. "I will continue to give you my assistance."

"Thank you. It's appreciated." Charlie said. "Since there's six of us, let's do groups of three. Three of us will go to the dining hall while the other three go check the bedroom."

"Kinky." Angel chuckled.

"Shut up." Vaggie said.

"Ooh, ooh! Can I go to the bedroom?" Niffty asked, raising her hand and bouncing.

"…Sure. Any particular reason?" Charlie asked.

"I haven't been able to clean _anything_ after our game host started killing for their blood to write the funny riddles. Imagine what sort of messes are in the bedroom. Dust, cobwebs, termites, loose hair…"

Angel goes to say something. "No." Vaggie said. He closes his mouth.

"I'll go to the dining hall." Husk said.

"Count me in!" Angel exclaimed.

"How much you wanna bet they're gonna look for liquor?" Vaggie asked Charlie.

"I'll accompany the two to keep an eye on them." Rosie said. "As much as I relish in a glass of scotch on the rocks, we a 'game' to finish." She'll have a glass, or two, when she returns to her emporium. She's going to need it.

"Thank you, Rosie." Charlie thanked. "Looks like Vaggie and I will go with you, Niffty."

"Two's company, three's a crowd!" the cyclops said with flare. "Sounds like something Mr. Alastor would say, huh? I wish he was here. I wonder he'll have a good laugh." Charlie can't help but think that Niffty may be worried for the stag in her own way.

She takes in a deep breath before releasing it. "Okay, guys. Let's do this!"

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"A game, you say?" Alastor glowered menacingly. "Dare I ask?"

_It is a fun game._

Alastor tugs at the tentacles, but the tendrils held on. "It would seem that I have no choice."

_Excellent!_

_Have you ever heard of Dry Bones?_

"I'm afraid not. I don't care for the current fads and the like and I don't plan to."

_Unsurprising…_

_It is a game of hide and seek._

"You want me to take part in a children's game?"

_Oh, it's much more than that._

_It is the matter of life and death._

_Or, in our case, afterlife and oblivion._

"So, what? You wish for me to come find you?" There was a chuckle. Somewhere in the back of Alastor's mind, it sounded vaguely familiar.

_No, dear Alastor._

_I'm afraid_ _**not** _ _._

Shadow figures appeared in front of Alastor. They look similar to his smiley minions, with the difference that they don't have stitches on them. The tentacles let go and retreat into the door, which opened wide. Before Alastor could think of something, one of the shadows lunged at him. He leaps out of the way before dodging again from another attack. As he backed out into the hallway, he did the only thing he can do with the little amount of energy he has. He sinks into his shadow and zooms off. The other shadows follow in hot pursuit.

A lithe, slender demon emerges from the shadows, though their features are hidden by the inky blackness.

"That's right, Radio Demon." the figure spoke, their voice distorted. "Run like the prey you really are."


	6. Reunion?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

Footsteps echoed in the dining area as Rosie, Husk, and Angel entered. It was dim, barely any light, but the three's eyes were quick to adjust, especially Husk. Rosie turns on the lights. The room has six cupboards, three on each on opposites sides and a long table with many chairs is in the middle, standing on a grand rug.

"Now, where shall we search first?" Rosie wondered.

"The kitchen." Husk said.

"Yep." Angel agreed. Both were hit in the head by Rosie's umbrella.

"We are here to solve a puzzle, not satisfy ourselves with alcohol delights." Rosie chided the two.

"But what if the clues are in the liquor? Eh?" Angel enticed, wiggling his brows.

"Adorable attempt, Mr. Dust." Rosie said. Angel pouts.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Why…is there…so many rooms?" Charlie wheezed as she dragged herself across the halls.

"And why did we clean each one?" Vaggie asked. Unlike the exhausted two, Niffty was still spray as she bounced beside them.

"They were really, really messy." Niffty said. "Especially the rooms where people played couch quail."

"Couch quail?" Vaggie questioned. "What's that?"

"I don't know. Mr. Alastor told me it's a game people play behind locked doors." Niffty said. After some thinking, Charlie realized the implications. It was…oddly sweet of Alastor.

They reach the end of the hallway where there were closed double doors. They push them open and walked inside. It was an immaculate sleeping quarters with a king-sized canopy bed, a vanity and a dresser, both having mirrors, and another door that leads to a private bathroom.

"Something tells me this is the room we're looking for." Charlie said.

"I'd say so." Vaggie said. "Finally."

"Yay! Now let's get cleaning!" Niffty said, brandishing a feather duster.

Charlie and Vaggie groans in disappointment.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Alastor, still in his shadow, barely dodged a swipe from an enemy shadow, getting a nick to his cheek. The shadowy stag was able to sleek through the bottom of a door to the other side of it. He materialized back into existence and lays his eyes at the little light peeking from the hall. The shadows flew by, passed the door and the room Alastor hid himself in. Whether or not it was intentional is up for debate. There is no doubt that the shadows knew he was in there. Just another attempt to show that Alastor is still at their mercy.

Despite this, the Radio Demon lend on the adjacent wall, no longer caring about the throbbing going up his back. He was out of breath and a tad disoriented. His escape by way of shadows wasn't the best idea. It made him feel more drained. Great. He unfurls his sleeves from being rolled up to cover his bandaged arms. After buttoning his cuffs, he moved his knees up and rested his elbows on them, his head leaning on his intertwined fingers as he tries to think. How did he get himself into this mess? He can't be losing his edge. Is it the because of the hotel? Ha! Preposterous! Alastor has yet to indulge himself in the ridiculous activities Charlie had provided for the patients.

Enough of that now. Alastor needs to find a way to distance himself from the enigmatic ringmaster and their cohorts and get to Charlie and the others so they can leave. As far as he's concerned, this party is over! Suddenly the lights in the room turned on and Alastor sprung to his feet in a fighting stance. He may not be able to use his tricks, but he won't go down without a fight. With the lights now on, he could see the room is bare. The was nothing in this room. In fact, there is _no one_ , but himself. Alastor then heard a hum behind him. He turns to see two flat screen televisions on the wall and he was certain they weren't there before. The screens were only static more a moment before a clear video could be seen.

His eyes grew big and his brows raised in surprise.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Charlie checked through the dresser drawers, the vanity, a cupboard, and even a jewel box before looking underneath the bed for any clues whatsoever. "I don't even know what we're looking for."

"Keep trying." Vaggie said from the closet. "We're bound to find something."

"I hope." Charlie said as she crawled deeper into the bed.

/Charlie? Are you there?/ The princess hits her head on the frame in reaction to the voice before scrambling out.

"Al? Is that you? Where are you?!" Charlie asked, looking around. She then looks up at the ceiling, surprised to see two flatscreen tvs, one of which showing Alastor's smiling image, peering down at her.

/Ah! There you are, my dear! Good to see you well!/

"I should be saying that to you!" Charlie said, rubbing her eye. Seeing Alastor okay – for the most part, Charlie could see the circles underneath his eyes – nearly made the princess cry.

Niffty zips in from cleaning the bathroom. "There you are Mr. Alastor! Were you playing hide and seek?"

Alastor chuckled. /That bit of information is unimportant./ Charlie thought it was strange that he would avoid the question, but did not comment on it.

/I'm not fuckin' crazy. I know I heard Al./ the voice of Angel could be heard from the second screen.

/I'm not saying you're crazy for hearing Alastor. I'm saying you're crazy in general./ said Husk.

/I'd imagine the two of you died as adults. Do act like it./ chided Rosie.

"Angel? Husk?"

/Charlie?/ They could see the tall spider in view looking around before finally noticing the screens likely in the dining hall with them. /Oh! There ya are. And there's Al! I knew I heard ya!/

/I don't recall seeing these screens./ Rosie said.

/Where've ya been? We thought ya went and hid somewhere to mess with us./ Angel said.

"Do you know where you are?" Charlie asked.

/Unfortunately, I do not. All I'm aware of is that I am still in the mansion./ he answered.

"Do you think you can stay where you are so we can find you?" Charlie asked.

A cackle came to be. " **That can be arranged**." A disembodied voice echoed.

Alastor saw it in his peripheral vision. The only door in the room started to fade away. He sprinted to it, but it was too late. The door is completely gone.

/Al?/ he heard Charlie.

" **And to make things more interesting…** " Tentacles emerged from nowhere and grabs Alastor. They pull him to a materialized chair and strapped him too it. " **That's more like it**!"

"Al!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Is it just me, or does all of that look like some of Alastor's powers?" Vaggie inquired.

" **Now, let's move forward with act two**." the voice said. " **Listen carefully, I'm only going to say this once. To find the smoking gun, you must face the keeper of time's direction and look inside. That is all**. **Oh, I almost forgot**. **There is a time limit**."

"What'll happen when the time runs out?" Angel asked. His question was answered when water started to pour in Alastor's room from the ceiling corners. Alastor, and everyone else, glared at the spider. "Oops."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

Helsa tosses away the magazine she read for the 12th time. "Ugh. I'm so over everything."

"Me too." Katie agreed, crumbling a magazine and throwing it. "So, you despise that goody-to-shoes, too?"

"If you're talking about Charlie, then yeah. That girl was voted most likely to be laughed at and humiliated back in school." Helsa said.

"Right you are." Katie and Helsa laughed at Charlie's expense. Tom stood off to the side, feeling as though he's with a pair of gossiping teenagers. Having enough of the trash talk, he roams around the ballroom. He sees Velvet on her hellphone, probably looking through her selfies since she can't connect to the Wi-Fi. Because he wasn't paying attention, he bumps into Regina.

"Oh, sorry about that." the anchorman said.

"No need for that. I wasn't paying attention." Regina said. She noticed a guest leaning in an odd way. She walks over to check on them. "Um, are you feeling okay? Did you drink too much?" She noticed four small puncture wounds on their neck.

Then, the guest leaps on Regina, their eyes a bloodshot red and sanguine liquid dripped from them. Regina screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't wait to update! ^^
> 
> That and I'm almost done with the next part of the series.


	7. Taking a Turn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel. It belongs to Vivziepop.

"What the fuck is happening?" Helsa asked, backing up on the stairs. Before her are the guests, now all with red, bloody eyes, ready to attack the only ones not affected by…whatever got them.

"How the fuck should I know?" Botis said. Using a column from the railing, he whacks a crazed guest. Tom uses his camera to hit another one.

"Do you realize how much that costs, Tom?" Katie asked rhetorically. "Make yourself useful and film this! Manic Guests After a Masquerade Gone Wrong! That would be thrilling!"

Velvet kicks a guest. "Finally, some fun!"

Regina watch as the mad demons try to make their way up the stairs. The Von Eldritch siblings were doing great to keep them at bay, Botis using the column and Helsa her hair, as is Velvet, which is expected of an Overlord. Seeing them busy, Regina took that moment to go find Charlie and the others.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

The water had already reached above his calves, seeping into his trousers and shoes. Alastor directs his back at the screen when Niffty started speaking. "Don't worry, Mr. Alastor! We'll get you out lickity split! Don't panic!"

Alastor blinked slowly. "I am quivering in my shoes." he deadpanned.

"I don't see the big deal here." Angel shrugged. "Can't ya just teleport yourself outta there?"

"Don't you think I would have done it by now?" Alastor asked.

"Okay, we gotta hurry. The water looks like the rising fast." Charlie said.

"I think the riddle has something to do with a clock." Vaggie said. "A clock is a keeper of time."

Charlie looks around for a clock. "There!" She points to one hanging on the wall. "Angel, do you guys see one where you are?"

"Uh…Yeah! There's a grandfather clock." Angel said.

"The riddle said to face the keeper of time's direction and look inside." Charlie looks at the clock, trailing where it's facing. It was the vanity mirror. Is there something behind it? A switch maybe? She goes over and moves the mirror, showing a faded spot. She feels around the wall inside the waned area. "I don't feel anything… Maybe it's somewhere in this wall. Vaggie, Niffty feel around this wall for anything."

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

To anyone else, this would have been a stressful situation. But Alastor knew better. He knew not to play into the games of others. Besides, he's faced more terrifying stuff than this. Even with the water know at his waist. He tugs at the tentacles keeping him tethered to the chair, ignoring how it stings his wounded arms. Unfortunately, the stings help elevate distant memories of being dragged out of the bayou by claws and fangs…

He heard another cackle. " **Poor little Alastor. Damned to be prey for the mighty. Which is how it should be.** " Alastor narrowed his eyes. " **Aren't you calm**." the voice remarked. " **Confident that your friends will solve this puzzle in time?** "

"Friends? Ha-ha-ha. Whoever you are, you clearly don't understand the workings of Hell." Alastor said. "Down here, there are no friends, no family, no trust of any kind. Every demon is out for themselves. I am no different. To me, they are nothing but pawns."

"… **Yes, you are correct. And yet, these lot are doing everything they can to keep your cursed self safe**."

"That would be Charlie's doing. The girl has this odd desire to redeem every sinner that waltz into her hotel. A positively silly thought, I must say."

" **And yet, here you are.** "

"?...What do you mean?" Alastor didn't get an answer. The water has now reached his midsection.

**††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††**

"Come on, come on, come on!" Charlie muttered as she feels for anything – _anything_ – to stop the water before Alastor drowns. Well, he won't be permanently dead from it, but the resurrection process is not an experience every demon wanted to go through. "Vaggie, Niffty, did you find anything?"

"No. I didn't." Vaggie said, exasperated.

"Nope."

"Rosie, did you guys find anything?" Charlie asked.

/I'm afraid not, my dear./ the demonbelle said. Fear started to take hold, which only got worse when Charlie could that the water has reached Alastor' chin. He still looks composed, grinning like always. Charlie supposed it's a good thing he's seemingly calm about it. Panicking would do more harm than good in this situation.

/Why the long face, sweetheart?/ Alastor asked. No doubt, he had seen how worried she is of his state.

"We still can't figure out this riddle."

/No need to fret. Take your time!/

"But…"

/If I'm remembering this right, the riddle says to face the clock's direction, yes? Then perhaps try looking at said direction. It's a cardinal point, four really./

"Do you have to make it a riddle too? Give us a straight answer, dammit!" Angel snapped.

/Where's the fun in that?/

Charlie gets a better look at the clock. The frozen time read 6:13, nothing to go on there. Until Charlie looked closer. Then, she saw them. Above or beside the numbers 12, 3, 6, and 9 are the cardinal directions N, E, S, and W respectively. She looks around at the ceiling. At one corner, she sees an 'N'.

"Vaggie, check the south corner above the cupboard. Niffty, climb the canopy. Husk, check the grandfather clock. The time coincides with the cardinal directions!" Charlie said. She checks on Alastor. She gasps. The water had already risen above the tips of his ears. He still had his toothy smile, but Charlie could see bubbles escaping from between his teeth. His eyes are clench and so are his fists as he struggled not to breath in water into his legs. She's not sure how long a demon could hold their breath, but she'd rather find out in the safety of the hotel pool. "Guys!"

/We're hurryin'!/ Angel said. Vaggie and Niffty found the hidden switches, as did Angel and Rosie. The four pulled the knobs and pushed them, stopping the water flow in Alastor's room. Before everyone could react, the disappear from the bedroom and dining hall.

The six find themselves in a hallway together where a door has water pouring out from the bottom. Before anyone moved, the door opened and the water rushed out. Charlie hurried over to check on the hotel sponsor. "Al! Are you okay?"

"Right as rain. Though a little waterlogged." Alastor said. The tentacles keeping him to the chair dissolved, freeing him. He gets up, rubbing his wrists in a nonchalant manner. Charlie then gives him a hug, causing the stag to tense up. His normal reaction would be to either severely shove her away or break something, typically a bone. But…

Charlie was quick to pull away. "Sorry! Forgot about the five-foot rule."

"Don't you worry, my dear." Alastor assured, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "It is typically reserved for lascivious types like Angel."

"Hey!"

"Charlie!" Regina exclaimed, running towards them. The princess didn't like the look on her face. "Charlie, it's awful!"

"What? What happened?" Charlie asked.

"I-I don't know how it happened, but it's like everyone just went mad!" Regina falls to her knees and starts crying.

"Do you think our host is behind this?" Vaggie asked.

"No doubt." Charlie said. Her eyes scanned around the hallway walls, looking for any blood coming come through the woodwork for the next riddle. But, nothing happened. "Weird."

"Yeah. Normally, the shadowy riddler would be givin' us our next trial or some shit." Angel said.

Charlie cups her chin in thought. "Alastor, while you were gone, did you ever saw who was responsible—" Charlie gasps in shock when she turned around.

"Reggie?"

Blood dripped onto the rug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you all in a week! ;p


End file.
